A November Hike

Welcome to a more mobile Chickadee Gardens today. Your Garden and Facilities Manager took a break from the home-landscape and went for a much-needed walk on the Crown-Zellerbach Trail that starts its long route to Vernonia on the northern end of the town of Scappoose, Oregon. The trail, a former railroad bed, gently winds up the often-narrow valley from Chapman Landing on the Columbia River to the tiny logging town (Vernonia) more than 24 miles away.

Join us as we enjoy a rare afternoon in the sun. Don't worry. There is lots of greenery and rocks. So put on your boots (for more reasons than one) and hike along with us.

Mossy trees are a highlight of our walk. Especially with the sunshine helping with the display.

The lower end of the trail is accessible just off Highway 30 on the north end of Scappoose. We chose to drive 2 miles up the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway to another trailhead. Lots of parking.

Facilities Manager peers into his immediate future, i.e., walking along this long, flat trail. The surface is mostly gravel but sometimes aging asphalt. And, of course, leaves. Lots and lots of leaves.

One wonders how much sunshine these trees receive in this steep valley. You'd best love green when hiking the CZ trail. That is North Scappoose Creek in the background; it is very busy this time of year. The creek, not the trail.

Look closely and you can see the rings of peck-holes the sapsuckers and woodpeckers have made into the bark of this tree. It is easy 80 feet tall and the trunk is lined with tiny holes.

Our native salal or Gaultheria shallon, a creeping evergreen shrub for shade with white flowers that turn to edible berries much loved by wildlife and hikers, too.

From the marshes through which Frodo and Samwise ventured to deliver that darned ring, we found this tree. Very spooky, yet beautiful, too, in its splendor of moss and branches.

Check to see President Jefferson's face in the basalt outcropping. Just kidding. Looks more like knobby knees. We wished we could bring some home, but that is a big no no. No trucks on the trail, and, besides, we'd dislodge one and many might tumble down and then what would we say? Oops?

Facilities Manager looks over a basalt outcropping. Bad bad.

All joking aside, the rocks are lovely. We plan to continue up the trail for more rock embankments and licorice ferns in abundance.

The primary root of a towering tree is on full display. You might see a human-form squeezing out of the formation. Again, the CZ trail has a certain amount of spookiness. Nice.

Interesting. Note the cuts in the large fir tree. Behind this wall the hillside was growing trees now about 15-feet tall. The hillside was obviously clear-cut at some point, but looks good now.

One last rock. Kind of green. Seafoam Green.

Can I get a fern here? Do you have ferns? We'd like a fern, please? Tamara here: Native sworn ferns, Polystichum munitum and what I think is bracken fern in its autumn brown colors.

Such mossy delights are regularly seen along the trail. We enjoyed the sunshine back-lighting.

A mossy carpet covers this large boulder.

Who knew? Some moss is fluffy!

Once away from the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway the trail is quiet and very empty. In fact, we did not see one other person on the trail. We met some behind-the-fence dogs, but they mostly just glared and sniffed. We ran across some mountain-bike tracks, but they were days old. We figure the CZ is lightly used. Perhaps one day we will start in Vernonia and ride the entire path. That'd be the 24 miles downhill way to go!

Yes, it was sunny the day we visited. One suspects the sometimes dense forest shades out the floor. Seems the fern population does not mind. Go, ferns! Go!

Near the trailhead about 2 miles from Scappoose, this neighborhood is dominated by several large oak trees. Seems pretty quiet in the little valley. The CZ trail is a real gem we intend to explore as often as possible. Surely, with a snowfall, we will be back on the trail looking for some moss, some ferns and some fresh air and happiness.

That wraps up this week at Chickadee Gardens. Thank you for coming along on our hike, sometimes we like to get out of the house and explore our new neighborhood. Thank you for reading and until next time, happy gardening (and hiking)!

We liked that, too. An interesting combination. Oh, I bet you don't see a lot of ferns - there are, however, a few dry and/or hot sun ferns native to the SW that might do well for you. I have a few and they are gorgeous!

about Chickadee Gardens

Chickadee Gardens has moved from a small, green oasis in the urban center of Portland, Oregon, zone 8b, to Saint Helens, some 35 miles outside of Portland to our dream of two acres. Our focus is native plantings but we also love (non-invasive) ornamentals. Sustainable gardening is our goal. Changes occur regularly in the design of the garden but the focus remains: this garden is for the chickadees (and bees, and bugs, and husband, and cats, and...)

As I work for Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, Oregon I have access to an amazing array of plant materials. Needless to say, I add a lot of plants and frequently change things up. Come along with us on our garden and farm journey, everyone is welcome!